Would Blake Shelton Ever Return to The Voice? He Says…
Blake Shelton doesn't regret his sweet escape from The Voice.
In fact, the "God's Country" singer shared that he has no plans to return to the singing competition series as a judge, saying that the "chapter is closed."
"I did 23 seasons of the show and I enjoyed it," Blake exclusively told E! News at the April 22 opening of his new bar Ole Red Las Vegas, "and by the time I got to that last season, it was time."
Noting that during his tenure he'd witnessed a number of rule changes and "block buttons" and "steal buttons," he added, "I've seen every reincarnation of the show that we could come up with to try to keep it exciting."
As for what Blake intends to focus on instead? The 47-year-old revealed he hopes to return to his roots.
"I needed to get back to what my day job was anyway," he shared, "which is, you know, being a country singer."
But that's not to say Blake—who married fellow Voice judge Gwen Stefani, 54, in 2021—doesn't have a special place in his heart for the NBC show.
"I don't mean to sound like I'm not a part of the family anymore," he clarified. "It was the most important years of my life where I was a coach on The Voice. But as far as the job goes, I don't think I'm ever ready to do that again as I sit here now."
Music isn't the only thing to expect from Blake's future. The "Honey Bee" artist—who is the step-father to Gwen's three kids Kingston, 17, Zuma, 15, and Apollo, 10, with ex Gavin Rossdale—shared why he's also looking forward to the public reception of his new bar, which was named for his 2001 hit "Ol' Red."
"People love having a Nashville connection in Las Vegas because so many country music fans come to Las Vegas," Blake told E! of the honky tonk's concept. "To be able to take a break from gambling or whatever you're doing here and just come have a beer and listen to some live country music is going to be so handy."
-- Reporting by Rachel Smith
Keep reading for more times Blake and Gwen have gushed about how much their relationship means to them.
"I think he's hot, don't you? But to be super honest, it is kind of crazy we both went through the same thing at the same time. There's been so many people that I've gotten so much comfort from. Just people coming to me and telling me their story. Not confiding, but sharing, which has just helped me see things from a different perspective and move forward." —Gwen to Ryan Seacrest in November 2015
"How can I not be [in love]? She is the greatest. She is the greatest." —Blake on Today in March 2018.
"When you have a broken heart—at least, when I do—you got to get it out of your system. You want people to sympathize with you. I was at rock bottom, in the middle of hell...Gwen saved my life. Who else on earth could understand going through a high-profile divorce from another musician?" —Blake to Billboard in July 2016
"I grew up in Orange County, so I don't know if you've been down there, but it's nothing like the middle of America and our nature was the beach. So to be able to be in Oklahoma and be able to experience a ranch kind of vibe is just something I never ever had, so it's just been really, it's been great, amazing." —Gwen on Jimmy Kimmel Live in August 2020
"You know, what? I love weddings. The kids love him. We love him. Everybody loves him. He is lovable! I think about it all the time." —Gwen to Ellen DeGeneres when discussing marrying Blake
"[My style is] more feminine than ever before. It's probably because I'm super in love and have a really manly man. I enjoy letting that part of me come out now because when I was in No Doubt, I never thought of myself as sexy. Even in my 30s, I was a tomboy. I hardly ever carried a purse." —Gwen to InStyle in July 2018
"He doesn't even like to do a photo shoot. You can never convince him to do it. So he just called me like, ‘They want me to do this.' And I was like, ‘You should totally do it! You're so sexy!'" —Gwen's reaction to Blake being named People's Sexiest Man Alive
"He's so good at the show, I mean, he's just so magical. Blake is literally a unicorn. Like anywhere he goes, people are just attracted to him, and he's such an incredible talent." —Gwen on SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live in September 2019
"Setting here watching @gwenstefani rehearsals it continues to shock me the amount of GIANT hits this girl has written... I highly recommend y'all catch her Vegas show if you can get tickets!!!" —Blake on Twitter in June 2018
(E! News and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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